After rescuing Han from the clutches of Jabba The Hutt, Leia uncovers her feelings for the smuggler as they speed away to join the Rebel Alliance Forces.  As we all know, all characters, locations and props are properties of George Lucas.  All original material is my copyright.

TJ Perkins
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"DESERT SAVIOR"
By TJ Perkins
Original Material Copyright 2000
 

     The Millennium Falcon sped away from the desert planet Tatooine, but it wasn't fast enough for Leia.  To be as far away from that dump hole of a planet, with it's tyrant inhabitants that reveled joyously by making others miserable, was the only thing she wanted right now.  She had just finished talking to Luke, who was on his way to Dagobah to complete his Jedi training.  Jedi training - who would have thought Luke, the flip-mouthed, no-it-all farm boy from Tatooine, would become a Jedi and save all of them from the most impenetrable fortress on the planet.  She would feel better once he was finished his business with Yoda and back with the Rebel Alliance.  Leia folded her arms across her chest, smiled to herself and shook her head.  She certainly was proud of him and her love for him ran deep, but it wasn't the same type of love she felt for Han, it was different - she couldn't explain it.  It was just something she felt.

     Leia slowly strolled away from the cockpit, leaving Lando and Chewie in charge of maneuvering the Falcon to their rendezvous with the Rebel Alliance.  She stopped briefly along the way to stare out a viewport at the quickly fading planet.  She wrapped her arms around her shoulders and shivered.  Ugh!  That horrible place.  How could she let herself get captured?  She thought her disguise as Boushh, the Ubese bounty hunter, was fool- proof; it worked for her many times in other situations, but this time... Oh, well, the handy bounty hunter disguise was now lost forever  in what was once Jabba's palace.

     In her mind, she kept running through all the shrewd precautions she had taken in order to get into the enormous fortress.  With Chewie as her captive, she had a lot of convincing to get him to cooperate, and with her disguise, the plan had been simple.  Get in, see where Han was, Chewie would be thrown in the dungeon and Lando would release him later, acting as if it was a jail break.  She would then sneak into Jabba's throne room, release Han from the carbonite and escape into the desert.  The only flaw she could think of was when she took off her helmet to speak to Han and then kissed him.  It was time lost, but not wasted.  She couldn't help herself.  Just seeing that he had survived the carbonite hibernation made her heart leap with joy; she had waited for so many long months to be with him again, taking many risks and laying her reputation as a renowned senator of the Alliance on the line.

     Even as he was leaning against her, shivering and afraid, she just couldn't help revealing who she was and feeling his lips against hers.  Though the encounter was quick, it was well worth the wait.  Leia smiled again, as the vision crept into her mind and love tingled up her spine.  Triumphantly, she released a deep sigh, gathered her courage and continued back to the infirmary.  Han had been blind during the trip across the Dune Sea and Luke's rescue process, so he didn't get a chance to see her in the slinky dancing girl outfit she had been forced to wear.  She felt very silly and vulnerable and wasn't real crazy about Han seeing her in it - now that his eyesight was back.  She didn't have much of a choice, however, because all of her clothes where in the same area as Han's.  Leia did plan on letting Han see her stripped down - one day - but not like this and not so soon into their relationship.

     She forced a smile to cover her embarrassment and walked into the infirmary.  Han was sitting on a raised cot and had been busy getting freshened up and patching several small cuts and abrasions.  He looked up quickly as Leia entered adorning her dancing girl ensemble.  With mouth hanging open and eyes bugged, Han could not help staring at her.  He always thought Leia was beautiful, but never dreamed her body was so perfect and sexy; and when Leia innocently blushed, lowered her head, fluttering those dark lashes and flashing him a seductive smile, his heart leapt into his throat.  He blinked, discovered he hadn't been breathing and tried to moisten his suddenly dry mouth.

     "Hey, where'd you get the outfit?  Your old boyfriend?"  Han asked jokingly, trying to recover and remain suave and in control.
     "Don't even try it,"  Leia softly scolded, opening her locker and pulling out trousers, shirt and boots; her typical wardrobe.
     "You're not gonna take it off already, are you?"  Has asked, looking a bit disappointed.
     "I don't think it would be appropriate to have me appear before our leaders of the Alliance wearing this,"  With arms spread wide, Leia unconsciously displayed her appearance to Han.  Even when recovering, Han was quick witted.  He took Leia by the wrist and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and reveling in her sweet smell.  To his surprise, she didn't pull away, didn't resist and allowed him to take control.
     "Well, you don't have to be in such a hurry to change, do you?"  he asked in a deep, quiet, sexy voice, looking into her eyes with their noses barely touching.
     Leia's heart was pounding and her stomach fluttered inside, just like the first time they had kissed and Han had held her close.
     "I guess I could wait just a little while longer,"  she said dreamily, meeting his gaze and trying to control the excitement building within .
     Han went to kiss her, then stopped, looking into her beautiful face, "You know, I wanted to thank you, before I forgot."
     "For what?"
     "For coming after me.  That took a lot of guts and, well...I-I just don't know what else to say.  I'm not very good with words and I'm just trying to let you know how I feel,"  Han stumbled through the complement, wanting to hold Leia as long as he could and trying to make up for lost time, "I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I appreciate all that you've gone through to save me.  Thank you."

     Leia felt his tough exterior melt, leaving his heart vulnerable and open. Now was her chance to draw him in so he would never want to leave.  She slowly licked her lips and ran her hands up his strong arms and around his neck, locking her fingers together and bringing her mouth very close to his.  "You're welcome,"  she whispered, planting a heated kiss and cocking a naked leg up on his thigh.  She pressed herself against his bare chest and released a soft moan of satisfaction as she felt Han's strong hand explore her bare leg, the other, her back.  Leia ran her hands ran through his hair as their breathing became erratic. They kissed feverishly  - opening themselves up to devotion.

     Yes, she wanted this, but it couldn't be now and it couldn't be here.  Reluctantly she pulled away, still holding his hands so he would understand that it was nothing he had done to cause her to do so.
     "Not now, Han, please.  I'm sorry, I know I started it.  We need to really get to know each other more, spend lots of time together and to not jump into anything,"  she said, pleading with her eyes.  Han was quiet at first, not knowing how to respond to her sudden halt in passion, "I want to give myself to you fully...in time.  I've just missed you so much that I got a little carried away."
     "I know, you're right.  I'm just glad to be together again,"  Han agreed, giving her his famous crooked smile and releasing her hands.  "Beside, how would it look if Lando or Chewie were to walk in on us?"
     Leia had to laugh, a vision of Lando's face appearing in her mind the way he always looked when something unexpected happened to him.  Han was right, it would be extremely embarrassing to have that happen.  A lot of people knew she and Han were close, but many didn't know how close.  It will all be exposed soon; some might be in shock and others might be happy for them - who knew.

     Han stepped down from the cot and headed toward the door, "I guess I should leave you to get yourself together, my desert savior,"  he smiled and bowed to Leia, giving her a wink.
     Leia blushed and turned her head, "You certainly are a charmer,"  she said, then turned to look at him again, "and I'm glad I'm the one you chose to charm."
     "Not just charm, my dear,"  Han said, moving toward the exit. As the automatic door opened he stopped, turned back around to face her, rested his forearms on the jambs and leaned forward, "I love you Leia."  His words were so full of meaning that they sent electric waves tingling through her body.
     "I know,"  Leia said softy.  A private joke that would forever be between them.  They looked longingly at each other once more, then Han left to go join the others in the cockpit.  Alone, Leia hugged herself, joy filling every inch of her being.  She knew Han was the right man for her and she was so glad she gave him a chance.  Leia closed her eyes and leaned against the bulkhead.  She was instantly lost in a dreamy vision of marriage and seeing herself pregnant.  Startled, she snapped her eyes opened and stood up, the feeling of panic quickly vanished and was replaced by a feeling of comfort.  Somehow she knew that she just had a vision of her future.